Deep sleep could be key to forestalling slow declines in brain health that may one day lead to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
In their 2023 study of 62 older, cognitively healthy adults, researchers from the University of California (UC) Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Irvine in the US found individuals with brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s performed better on memory function tests as they got more deep sleep.
This was irrespective of education and physical activity, two factors along with social connection known to contribute to cognitive resilience in older age.
The polarization of light finds practical application in physics and chemistry through the optical activity phenomenon, where polarimeters play a crucial role. This research builds on the improvised polarimeter designed by Kvittingen and Sjursnes, implemented with relevant modifications, to measure optical rotations of over-the-counter ascorbic acid samples. The study aims to assess the purity of two brands of ascorbic acid through polarimetry, comparing the calculated specific rotation with the literature values and supplementing the characterization with melting point determination. The constructed polarimeter, assembled using Lego bricks, provides an affordable alternative for educational purposes, addressing the challenges observed in the accessibility of commercial polarimeters for classroom demonstrations. The methodology encompasses pre-experiment steps involving polarimeter construction, the experiment utilizing polarimetry and complementary melting point determination, and post-experiment analysis to determine specific rotation from the measured optical rotations. Results indicate that Brand X exhibited specific rotations close to theoretical values, inferring high purity. Conversely, Brand Y shows significant deviations, suggesting potential impurities. These conclusions are supported by melting point data. The comprehensive approach combining polarimetry and melting point determination enhances the reliability of purity assessments, showcasing the effectiveness of the improvised polarimeter in practical applications.
R J M Felicidario and R M delos Santos 2024 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 2,871 012009.
Individuals born before 37 weeks of gestation, considered to be preterm infants, have, on average, lower employment income, university enrollment and educational attainment through age 28, according to a study publishing November 6, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Petros Pechlivanoglou of The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Preterm birth affects about 10% of all births worldwide and accounts for one in five deaths in children. Economic and lifestyle factors can affect a family’s access to therapies and supports, financial stability and quality of life.
Since the public release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become a driving force in innovation and everyday life, sparking both excitement and concern. AI promises breakthroughs in fields like medicine, education, and energy, with the potential to solve some of society’s toughest challenges. But at the same time, fears around job displacement, privacy, and the spread of misinformation have led many to call for tighter government control.
Many are now seeking swift government intervention to regulate AI’s development in the waning “lame duck” session before the inauguration of the next Congress. These efforts have been led by tech giants, including OpenAI, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, under the guise of securing “responsible development of advanced AI systems” from risks like misinformation and bias. Building on the Biden administration’s executive order to create the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI) and mandate that AI “safety tests,” among other things, be reported to the government, the bipartisan negotiations would permanently authorize the AISI to act as the nation’s primary AI regulatory agency.
The problem is, the measures pushed by these lobbying campaigns favor large, entrenched corporations, sidelining smaller competitors and stifling innovation. If Congress moves forward with establishing a federal AI safety agency, even with the best of intentions, it risks cementing Big Tech’s dominance at the expense of startups. Rather than fostering competition, such regulation would likely serve the interests of the industry’s largest corporations, stifling entrepreneurship and limiting AI’s potential to transform America—and the world—for the better. The unintended consequences are serious: slower product improvement, fewer technological breakthroughs, and severe costs to the economy and consumers.
On this episode, neuroscientist and author Robert Sapolsky joins Nate to discuss the structure of the human brain and its implication on behavior and our ability to change. Dr. Sapolsky also unpacks how the innate quality of a biological organism shaped by evolution and the surrounding environment — meaning all animals, including humans — leads him to believe that there is no such thing as free will, at least how we think about it today. How do our past and present hormone levels, hunger, stress, and more affect the way we make decisions? What implications does this have in a future headed towards lower energy and resource availability? How can our species manage the mismatch of our evolutionary biology with our modern day challenges — and navigate through a ‘determined’ future?
About Robert Sapolsky:
Robert Sapolsky is professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and a research associate with the Institute of Primate Research at the National Museum of Kenya. Over the past thirty years, he has divided his time between the lab, where he studies how stress hormones can damage the brain, and in East Africa, where he studies the impact of chronic stress on the health of baboons. Sapolsky is author of several books, including Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, A Primate’s Memoir, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, and his newest book coming out in October, Determined: Life Without Free Will. He lives with his family in San Francisco.
00:00 — Episode highlight. 00:15 — Guest introduction. 03:10 — When did Robert know he wanted to study animal behavior? 04:40 — When was his last research trip? 05:46 — Challenges that come from differences from modern and ancestral environments. 07:20 — Physiology and our emotions. 09:37 — Divide in evolutionary beliefs. 12:13 — Behavioral science and religion. 14:40 — Past students’ impacted by Robert. 16:48 — Testosterone. 21:07 — Dopamine. 29:02 — Oxytocin. 32:19 — Hormones affecting social behavior. 38:21 — Changing the environmental stimuli of pregnant people to positively impact fetus’ development. 41:55 — Free will. 57:24 — Science of attractiveness. 58:55 — Do people have free will? 1:13:12 — Emergence. 1:18:17 — Quantum and indeterminacy. 1:19:18 — Complexity of free will. 1:23:46 — Difference between free will and agency. 1:26:43 — How to use Robert’s work to change policies around the world in a positive way. 1:29:15 — What’s the difference between a deterministic world and a fatalistic one? 1:34:39 — Robert’s thoughts on his newest book, Determined: Life Without Free Will. 1:40:48 — Key components in a new systems society understanding this science. 1:45:30 — What should listeners take away from this podcast? 1:47:32 — Robert’s recommendations for the polycrisis. 1:52:20 — What Robert cares most about in the world. 1:53:00 — Robert’s magic wand. 1:54:36 — Future topics of conversations.
With just an iPad, students in any classroom across the world could soon reimagine the ordinary diagrams in any physics textbook—transforming these static images into 3D simulations that run, leap or spin across the page.
EngineAI’s SE01 humanoid robot redefines robotics with its smooth, human-like movement powered by advanced AI neural networks, showcasing a new level of realism in robotic technology. Clone Robotics pushes the boundaries further, creating a lifelike torso with synthetic muscles and joints that replicate the human musculoskeletal system, setting a new standard in AI-driven, realistic robotics. These innovations from EngineAI and Clone Robotics are transforming the future of humanoid robots, bringing AI and robotics closer to lifelike androids capable of human-like behavior, movement, and dexterity.
🔍 Key Topics Covered: EngineAI’s groundbreaking humanoid robot, SE01, with AI-driven natural movement that mimics human gait. Clone Robotics’ advanced torso robot, featuring synthetic muscles and joints for lifelike movement. Real-world applications and implications for humanoid robots in industries, education, and daily life.
🎥 What You’ll Learn: How EngineAI achieved smooth, human-like movement in SE01 through a unique neural network approach. Clone Robotics’ development of a lifelike torso that mirrors the human musculoskeletal structure. The future of humanoid robots as they move beyond warehouses, with potential roles in schools, hospitals, and even homes.
📊 Why This Matters: This video dives into the latest advancements in humanoid robotics, revealing how companies like EngineAI and Clone Robotics are pushing the limits of AI and robotics. As robots grow more human-like, their potential to revolutionize industries and daily life becomes increasingly real.
DISCLAIMER: This video explores EngineAI’s SE01 and Clone Robotics’ torso robot, highlighting their remarkable strides in lifelike robotics. Anyone curious about AI, robotics, and the future of humanoid technology will find this information insightful.
Generative AI is changing medicine, and it’s happening fast. HMS is getting a jump on this shift by training future doctors with skills in data and machine learning.
Harvard Medical School is building artificial intelligence into the curriculum to train the next generation of doctors.
Daniel C. Dennett is one of the most influential philosophers of our time, perhaps best known in cognitive science for his multiple drafts (or “fame in the brain”) model of human consciousness, and to the secular community for his 2006 book Breaking the Spell. Author and co-author of two-dozen books, he’s the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, where he taught our very own Point of Inquiry host Lindsay Beyerstein.
Beyerstein and Dennett catch up to discuss Dennett’s newest book, From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds. It’s a fresh look at Dennett’s earlier work on the subject of consciousness, taken in new directions as he seeks a “bottom-up view of creation.” Join Dennett and Beyerstein as they discuss the how’s and why’s of consciousness, not just from an evolutionary and neurological standpoint, but also through the lenses of computer science and human culture.
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Scientists studying viruses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently opened their lab door for a tour, looking to shine a light on their work after being targeted by a Republican bill.
The legislation would have prohibited some of the research that has been done in the past in Madison…
The bill would have ended all so-called “gain-of-function” research at higher education institutions in the state, and cut funding from any university that continued such experiments.
